1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to racks for holding cue sticks, and more specifically to an illuminating cue stick rack which a customer may illuminate to call a waitress or attendant for service.
2. Description of Related Art
Cue stick racks are well known. They are commonly found at pool-halls and other establishments which have billiard tables. A cue stick rack is typically constructed to form a simple frame. The frame generally comprises a lower horizontal base, an upper horizontal shelf, and a pair of vertical side supports which are both attached to the base and the shelf. Preferably, the frame further includes means for securing the rack to a wall. The top surface of the lower base has a plurality of recesses, each recess being sized to support the butt end of a cue stick. The upper shelf has a plurality of holes bored vertically therethrough. Each hole is sized to pass the cue end of a cue stick therethrough. The pair of side supports positionally support the upper shelf above the lower base to position the holes of the upper shelf in relative alignment with the recesses of the lower base so that the cue sticks may be stored by passing the cue ends through the holes of the upper shelf and resting the butt ends in the recesses of the lower shelf. In this manner, cue stick racks can hold a wide array of differently sized or weighted cue sticks for ready use by a customer of the establishment.
Many designs and modifications have been proposed for pool stick racks. Examples of inventions related to this art include U.S. Design Pat. No. 46,600 issued October 1914 to Maher (Design for a Billiard-Cue Rack); U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D154,103, D154,104, and D154,105 issued September 1947 to Deskey (Rack or the Like for Billiard Cues); U.S. Design Pat. No. D222,366 issued October 1971 to Berger (Billiard Cue Rack); U.S. Design Pat. No. D272,787 issued February 1984 to Rumbaugh (Bracket for Mounting on a wall for Supporting the Butt Ends of Vertically Oriented Fishing Rods); U.S. Pat. No. 824,386 issued June 1906 to Sevigny (Cue Rack); U.S. Pat. No. 1,047,339 issued December 1912 to Treiber (Cue Rack); U.S. Pat. No. 1,503,120 issued July 1924 to Drost (Cue Rack); U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,889 issued September 1964 to Franco (Billiard Cue Rack); German Pat. No. 49,112 issued October 1889 to Meurer (Neuerung an Gestellen zum Aufhangen von Billardstocken); and U.K. Pat. No. 282,220 issued December 1927 to Lamb (New and Improved Cue Rack which can be Locked).
While all of these disclosed devices accomplish various utility or design functions, none suggest adding a lighting system to the cue stick rack, either for decorative or utilitarian purposes. Thus, none of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.